Kaizen 187 - Building a Timer and Worklog Widget (Part 1)
Howdy Tech Wizards!
Welcome back to a fresh week of Kaizen!
This time, we are diving into a two-part series where you will learn how to build a Timer and Worklog Widget for Zoho CRM. This widget helps track active work time and log multitasking sessions using Zoho CRM APIs, Client Script, Functions, and Workflows.
Why It Matters?
Zoho CRM effectively captures stage/status transitions, like tracking when a case moves from Open to In Progress or On Hold. However, in dynamic work environments, employees juggle multiple work items and engage in impromptu tasks or conversations.
Let’s take the On Hold status as an example.
While it can be used to indicate pauses in progress, it does not always align with real-world workflows. Consider these scenarios:
Not all interruptions justify a status change
Moving the case to On Hold for every minor detour (to clarify something with a colleague or respond to another emergency work item) would be impractical and could lead to under reporting actual work hours. Over time, this untracked effort adds up, creating a gap in visibility.
Frequent status changes may dilute their meaning
In many teams, On Hold signifies a legitimate blocker like waiting on customer input or an external dependency. Using it frequently to reflect quick shifts in attention could compromise that clarity.
A timer widget solves this by:
- Capturing hands-on work items.
- Logging context switches (unrelated tasks) with descriptive entries.
- Feeding structured entries into a custom module for reporting and subform sync.
Business Scenario: IT Service Desk & Ticket Resolution
A tech support team uses the Cases module to resolve customer issues. Some tickets are straightforward; others require follow-ups, escalations, or cross-team coordination. While CRM timestamps (like stage transitions or picklist tracking) track when changes happen, they do not reflect how long someone actively worked on a case.
This Timer Widget can be the ultimate solution to track down the active time spent on each case through out the day.
What are we Building?
By the end of this two-part guide, you will know how to:
- Build a timer widget to track time per task or any CRM record.
- Log work sessions into a custom module every time the timer is started/stopped.
- Automatically populate a subform in the corresponding record module using workflows and Deluge functions.
- Leverage the Reports module to analyze work patterns, SLA adherence, and productivity trends.
In Part I, we will focus on:
-> Building and configuring the Timer Widget.
-> Capturing each timed session as a record in a custom module.
Prerequisites
1. Create a Custom Module
Create a custom module named Timer Entries to log work details and generate reports from the Reports module. A new record will be added to this module each time a timer is started.
Set up the following custom fields in the Timer Entries module:
Custom Fields | Data Type |
Start Time | DateTime |
End Time | DateTime |
Total Duration (in mins.) | Formula DateBetween(${Timer Entries.Start Time},${Timer Entries.End Time},'Minutes') |
Related to Case | Lookup to Cases module |
Work Description | Multi Line |
2. Add a custom picklist option
Add a custom picklist option called In Progress to the Status picklist field in the Cases module for precisely identifying the status of the cases.
Follow this Add/Remove Picklist Values help section for more details.
3. Setup Custom Views for Contextual Filtering
To streamline the widget experience and ensure users only see relevant records to associate while tracking time, set up two smart custom views—one in the Cases module and another in the Timer Entries module.
Active Cases View (Cases Module)
Create a custom view in the Cases module to list only the active tickets the logged-in user is working on. Use the following criteria tips:
- Use the Status field to filter records with values like In Progress, On Hold, or Escalated.
- Use the Case Owner field to show records that are assigned only to the currently logged-in user.
This view powers the drop-down inside the widget where users select the case they want to start the timer for.
Active Timers View (Timer Entries Module)
Set up a second custom view in the Timer Entries module to track entries where the timer has been started but not yet stopped. These represent active timers. Use the following logic for criteria:
- The End Time field is empty (i.e., timer still running).
- Timer Entry owner field matches the logged-in user.
This view is used internally by the widget to detect if a timer is already running and update the same entry once the timer is stopped.
Follow the Managing List View help page and use the specifications shown in the following image.
Building the Timer Widget
Step -1: Review Basics
Refer to our earlier Kaizen on CLI Installation, Creating a Widget Project, and Internal hosting of the same.
Step 2 - Develop the Widget
After initializing your widget project using CLI, implement the timer logic:
Fetching Active Cases
On page load, the populateRecordsDropdown function initiates a Get Records API call to the Cases module, using the Active Cases custom view ID. This fetches all active case records assigned to the logged-in user.
These records are then listed in a dropdown, allowing users to quickly select the relevant case they are about to work on.
async function populateRecordsDropdown() { const recordsDropdown = document.getElementById("moduleRecords"); recordsDropdown.innerHTML = ""; try { const recordsResponse = await ZOHO.CRM.API.getAllRecords({ Entity: casesModule, cvid: casesCVID, per_page: 10 }); if (recordsResponse.data && recordsResponse.data.length > 0) { recordsResponse.data.forEach(record => { const option = document.createElement("option"); option.value = record.id; option.textContent = record.Subject || "Unnamed Record"; recordsDropdown.appendChild(option); }); } else { const placeholderOption = document.createElement("option"); placeholderOption.value = ""; placeholderOption.textContent = "No records found"; placeholderOption.disabled = true; placeholderOption.selected = true; recordsDropdown.appendChild(placeholderOption); } } catch (error) { console.error("Error fetching records:", error); } } |
Starting the Timer and Creating an Entry
Once the user starts the timer, The createRecord function triggers a Create Record API call to log the session in the Timer Entries custom module. The record captures the start time and the related case and description (if provided).
Even if no details are entered or case is selected, a timer entry is still created with the start time. This ensures that spontaneous work sessions are tracked and not lost.
async function createRecord(startTime) { try { const workDescription = document.getElementById("workDescription").value; const selectedRecordId = document.getElementById("moduleRecords").value; const selectedRecordText = document.getElementById("moduleRecords").options[ document.getElementById("moduleRecords").selectedIndex ].text; const data = { Start_Time: startTime, Owner: currentUserId, Work_Description: workDescription, Related_to_Case: selectedRecordId, Name: selectedRecordText }; const response = await ZOHO.CRM.API.insertRecord({ Entity: timerModule, APIData: data }); console.log("Start time recorded successfully"); } catch (error) { console.error("Error creating record:", error); } } |
Stopping the Timer and Updating the Entry
When the timer is stopped, the widget uses the Active Timer Entry custom view to locate the most recent Timer Entry record created by the logged-in user that does not have an end time.
The updateRecord is then triggered to update that active entry using the Update Record API call. It updates the End time of the session and the related case, descriptions, if it was not already provided when the timer was started.
async function updateRecord(endTime) { try { const workDescription = document.getElementById("workDescription").value; const selectedRecordId = document.getElementById("moduleRecords").value; const response = await ZOHO.CRM.API.getAllRecords({ Entity: timerModule, cvid: timerEntriesCVID, per_page: 1 }); const latestRecord = response.data[0]; if (latestRecord) { const recordId = latestRecord.id; const data = { id: recordId, End_Time: endTime, Work_Description: workDescription, Related_to_Case: selectedRecordId }; await ZOHO.CRM.API.updateRecord({ Entity: timerModule, APIData: data, RecordID: recordId }); console.log("End time updated successfully"); } } catch (error) { console.error("Error updating record:", error); } } |
Step 3 - Validate and Pack the Widget
- Follow the steps given in the Widget help page to validate and package the widget.
- Go to Zoho CRM > Setup > Developer Hub > Widgets and click Create New Widget.
- Fill in the required details as shown in this image and ensure to select Button as the widget type.
Step 4 - Associate it with Flyout
- Go to Setup > Developer Space > Client Script. Click New Script.
- Enter a name and description for the script. Choose Command type in Category.
- Create a Flyout and render a widget within it using its details like the API name of the widget, title, size, and animation type. You can get the Widget API name from the widget's detail page.
let allowedUserEmails = []; allowedUserEmails.push('user1_email_address'); allowedUserEmails.push('user2_email_address'); allowedUserEmails.push('user3_email_address'); let currentUserEmail = $Crm.user.email; if (allowedUserEmails.indexOf(currentUserEmail) == -1) { ZDK.Client.showMessage('Command access resticted', { type: 'error' }); return false; } ZDK.Client.createFlyout('myFlyout', {header: 'Timer', animation_type: 4, height: '600px', width: '500px', top: '10px', left: '10px', bottom: '10px', right: '10px' }); ZDK.Client.getFlyout('myFlyout').open({ api_name: 'Timer', type: 'widget' }); return true; |
Refer to Creating a Client Script help page for more details.
Try It Out!
A complete working code sample of this widget is attached to this post.
Now, let us see how this Timer widget works:
1. Start the Timer
Open the widget and select an active case from the dropdown. As soon as you start the timer, a new record will be automatically created in the Timer Entries module to capture the session.
2. Stop the Timer
When the task is complete, provide a description of the work you have done and stop the timer. The same Timer Entry record (created when the timer was started) will be updated automatically with the end time and your work description.
This forms the foundation for accurate time tracking at the record level.
In Part 2, we will show how to:
-> Use a workflow and Deluge function to transfer these entries into the Work Log subform inside the relevant Cases record.
-> Use CRM Reports to slice and dice work time for better SLA and productivity insights.
In the meantime, would you like us to address any of your pain-points or have a topic to discuss? Let us know in the comments or reach out to us via support@zohocrm.com.
Until next time, Happy Coding!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related Reading
- Custom Fields - Working with Custom Fields and Working with Picklist Field
- Widget - An Overview, CLI Installation, Working with Widgets, JS SDKs, Mobile Compatibility of Widgets and Kaizens
- Core APIs - GET Records, POST Records and UPDATE Records
- Client Script - An Overview, Creating a Client Script, Best Practices and Troubleshooting
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous Kaizen: Client Script Support for Subforms | Kaizen Collection: Directory
Access your files securely from anywhere
New to Zoho Recruit?
Zoho Developer Community
New to Zoho LandingPage?
Zoho LandingPage Resources
New to Zoho Survey?
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Bigin?
Topic Participants
Kiruthiga G
Sticky Posts
Kaizen #197: Frequently Asked Questions on GraphQL APIs
🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.Kaizen #198: Using Client Script for Custom Validation in Blueprint
Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – 1 More to the Big Two-Oh-Oh! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.Celebrating 200 posts of Kaizen! Share your ideas for the milestone post
Hello Developers, We launched the Kaizen series in 2019 to share helpful content to support your Zoho CRM development journey. Staying true to its spirit—Kaizen Series: Continuous Improvement for Developer Experience—we've shared everything from FAQsKaizen #193: Creating different fields in Zoho CRM through API
🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.Client Script | Update - Introducing Commands in Client Script!
Have you ever wished you could trigger Client Script from contexts other than just the supported pages and events? Have you ever wanted to leverage the advantage of Client Script at your finger tip? Discover the power of Client Script - Commands! Commands
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
Zoho TeamInbox Resources
Zoho CRM Plus Resources
Zoho Books Resources
Zoho Subscriptions Resources
Zoho Projects Resources
Zoho Sprints Resources
Qntrl Resources
Zoho Creator Resources
Zoho CRM Resources
Design. Discuss. Deliver.
Zoho Show Resources
Get Started. Write Away!
Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.
Zoho CRM コンテンツ
-
オンラインヘルプ
-
Webセミナー
-
機能活用動画
-
よくある質問
-
Ebook
-
-
Zoho Campaigns
- Zoho サービスのWebセミナー
その他のサービス コンテンツ
Nederlandse Hulpbronnen
ご検討中の方
Recent Topics
Errors Getting a Bank Transaction
Using Postman(for testing), I am receiving errors when attempting to get a single bank transaction. I am able to receive the list of bank transactions with https://www.zohoapis.com/books/v3/banktransactions/?organization_id={org_id} but when I try toSubscriptions Plans and CRM Products Integration?
Is there any way to set up plans and pricing in Zoho Subscriptions and have those available as Products in the CRM? We are trying to set up the CRM and the Products seem to be more geared toward selling products that are not subscription based. So if we sell annual or monthly contracts which are $10/seat/month, I can set this up as a plan in Subscriptions, but how can I set the same thing up in the CRM for the salespeople to sell/quote? What is the best practice for setting up the CRM Products toMapping Zoho Subscription Plans and Products to CRM and Books
We have products that are one time products and subscription products. 1) We would like to have the ability to create an opportunity in CRM that includes both one-time charge products and subscription products. Currently the only way of creating a subscription product is by defining a "Product->Plan" hierarchy in Zoho Subscription. It appears that the only SYNC between Subscription and CRM is around contacts and the Product->Plan hierarchy doesn't sync to CRM, thus, you would need a duplicateZoho People Attendance Module - Split Shifts
Hello, Our business employs a number of college students who often split their workdays between work hours and class schedules, resulting in split shifts. For example: Employee 1 works 9am to 11:30am and then leaves for class, returning to work at 3pmBulk update fields based on date
Hi! I need all the quotes with "Quote Stage" set to "Next Year" to update to "Draft" every January 8 (every year). Can you help?Target for a campaign
Hi, Hope you can help me. I need to create a report (for a marketing campaign) that combines Deals and Contacts to export all the contacts with closed deals. I can easily do that, what I cannot do is to remove from the target the contacts that have moreZoho Desk + Jira integration - Email notifications and comments posted by administrator instead of real user
Dear All, I set up the integration under my admin account, and now when users leave comments in Jira (to created tickets in Zoho Desk), the email notifications show that the ‘Administrator’ left a comment, not a real user. The same happens in the ticketCelebrating the power of visuals
On World Photography Day, we would like to highlight the power of visuals in customer service. Visuals promote learning and understanding in less time. A photograph can rekindle a memory, convey more than words, and give a fresh perspective. How doesCustomer address in Zoho Bookings
Hello, Is it possible to add customer address information to the Zoho bookings appointment screen? Or have it pull that information automatically from the CRM? We are wanting to use this as a field management software but it is difficult to pull the address from multiple sources when it would be ideal to have a clickable address on the appointment screen that opens up the user's maps. It would also be advantageous for the "list view" to show appointment times instead of just duration and bookingBlocking / black listing customers
Hi, We have a situation, we observed that certain customers are blocking multiple appointments with our advsiors but not showing up. Some of these are repeat offenders. This leads to those service hours getting blocked and not available for genuine customers.Option to block bookings from specific email address or ip adresss in zoho booking
Sometime few of our client keep booking irrelevant booking service just to resolve their queries and they keep booking it again and again whenever they have queries. Currently its disturbing our current communication process and hierarchy which we haveFeature Request: Email Templates for notifications accross all services
Currently in Zoho Bookings, email notifications (such as booking confirmations, reminders, and cancellations) must be customized individually for each service. This becomes time-consuming and error-prone when managing multiple services that require consistentAllow customers to choose meeting venue and meeting duration on booking page
My business primarily involves one-to-one meetings with my clients. Given the hybrid-work world we now find ourselves in, these meetings can take several forms (which I think of as the meeting "venue"): In-person Zoom Phone call I currently handle theseApproval-based booking with Zoho Creator and Zoho Bookings
Hi community members, We have developed a workaround for approval-based booking using Zoho Creator and Zoho Bookings! This provides a temporary solution as we work on the native feature, and it's useful for anyone needing an approval workflow when confirmingMember Accounts in Related List
Hi Team, Currently, when a parent account is associated with an account in FSM, there is no related list displaying the associated member accounts under the parent account’s related list section. To view member accounts, I have to manually search usinghow do i remove a specific Zoho Service from my account
I no longer need Zoho CRM, ZRM Assist nor ZRM BugTracker. How do I remove them from the list of apps for my account?I Want migarte all invoice details to zoho sheets
I want to migrate all existing invoice details to Zoho Sheet, and automatically update the sheet whenever a new invoice is created.were can i find my invoices i need this for my accountant
were can i find my invoices i need this for my accountant, how can i get id direct to my email?ONLY email field not populating Writer fillable document (randomly)
I have a Zoho Writer fillable document that has pulled all my data from my Zoho Sheets file, EXCEPT the email column. It pulled every data before and after that column with no issues. Screenshots attached. It's not my first time using the app or the feature,My number is marked as spam
Hello Zoho Mail Support, My phone number was incorrectly flagged as “spam” during sign-up. This is my personal number, and I have not engaged in any spam activities. Kindly review and verify my account so I can proceed with my email setup. Thanks.Personnalisation des paramètres dans Zoho Mail
Pourquoi cela compte-t-il ? La personnalisation des paramètres dans Zoho Mail permet aux administrateurs de configurer l’environnement de messagerie en fonction des besoins spécifiques de leur organisation. Que ce soit pour alléger l’interface pour certainesHow To Save Data Into Zoho CRM Sandbox
Hi Community, I want to save data into my zoho sandbox , for this I am using this api endpoint - https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v8/Patients but I am getting this error - { "success": false, "message": "Zoho API request failed", "error": { "code": "INVALID_MODULE",Automate pushing Zoho CRM backups into Zoho WorkDrive
Through our Zoho One subscription we have both Zoho CRM and Zoho WorkDrive. We have regular backups setup in Zoho CRM. Once the backup is created, we are notified. Since we want to keep these backups for more than 7 days, we manually download them. TheyQuestion about retrieving unsubscribed contacts (outside of lists) via API
Hello, I am currently using Zoho Marketing Automation and would like to integrate it with our company’s core system. For this purpose, I am exploring the API options available to retrieve contact information. Specifically, I would like to know if thereGetting “mandatory field missing: Service_Line_Items” When Creating Work Order via Zoho Flow Deluge
Hi Team, I’m trying to create a Work Order in Zoho FSM with only a Service Line Item (no Parts). However, I keep getting this error: Work Order Response: {"code":"MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND","details":{"api_name":"Service_Line_Items"},"message":"required fieldHow to customize the colors of the Client Portal login screen and add the company logo?
As title, how to customize the colors of the Client Portal login screen and add the company logo?Daily updates/fixes and how to see what was changed?
When I receive the notification that zoho was updated and I need to refresh it. How can I see what was changed or fixed? Sometimes they change things that effect my books and I need to know what they did. For example over this past weekend something wasUpcoming Change: Snowflake Username/Password Authentication Deprecation – Action Required
Hello Users, Snowflake has officially announced that username and password-based authentication will be deprecated by November 2025. You can find the official announcement [here]. If you're using a Snowflake connection in Zoho Analytics to import data,Why should I choose Zoho Inventory vs Odoo?
Hello there! I have used Zoho in different companies I've worked in, and I have a positive perception of it. I am starting a new import business for pipes, tubes, fittings, valves, elbows, etc., which all have serial numbers, cast numbers, etc., so IProduct Updates in Zoho Workplace applications | July 2025
Hello Workplace Community, Let’s take a look at the new features and enhancements that went live across all Workplace applications this July. Zoho Mail Import bookmarks from Pocket Worried about losing your Pocket bookmarks? Don't worry we have got you.PLEASE FIX YOR BUGS
PICTURES ARE BEING REJECTED DESPITE THEM FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES ON DIMENTIONS.Kaizen# 204 - Answering Your Questions | Perform Field Updates before Blueprint transition via Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. One of the questions we received through your Kaizen feedback was: “How can I update fields before Blueprint transition and how to prevent a transition based on a condition using Client Script?”Create online meetings for Booking Pages with Zoho Meetings and Zoom
Greetings, We hope you're all doing well. We're excited to share some recent enhancements to Bigin's Booking Pages. As you know, Booking Pages let you create public pages to share your availability so that your customers can easily book time slots withFilters in audit logs
Greetings, I hope all of you are doing well. We're happy to announce a few recent enhancements we've made to Bigin. We'll go over each one in detail. Previously, there were no filters available to narrow down data in audit logs. Now, we've introducedEnhanced help options in Bigin
Greetings, We're excited to introduce a new enhancement to Bigin's Help section: a comprehensive Help Options panel that brings together all your support resources in a single, well-organized space. Previously, the Need Help? menu provided only a limitedZoho FSM API Developer Needed
Hi, I’m looking for a developer with experience using Zoho FSM APIs. Scope: Connect WordPress website booking form to Zoho FSM Check availability (date, time, region) Create Work Orders + Service Appointments automatically Notify both customer and schedulerRevenue Management: #4 What if there are uncertainties in project or service delivery?
Our previous post taught us how Zoho Billing makes life easy for businesses with its automated revenue recognition rule. However, certain businesses have more challenges that an automated system cannot handle, and there are certain situations where automatedThis mobile number has been marked spam. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com
Bom dia, estou tentando colocar o número 11 94287-6695 e esta com erro "This mobile number has been marked spam. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com" pode me ajudar, por favor?Feature Request: Ability to Set a Custom List View as Default for All Users
Dear Zoho CRM Support Team, We would like to request a new feature in Zoho CRM regarding List Views. Currently, each user has to manually select or favorite a custom list view in order to make it their default. However, as administrators, we would likeItems Serial Tracking Issue
We enabled Zoho Items inventory tracking then disabled it after some time now we want to enable it again When I check the missing serial number reports I see one item But I cant see any option to Add the serial numbers Where and how to add the serialNext Page